Delta Air Lines on Sunday pulled its sponsorship of a New York City theater company’s modern production of ‘Julius Caesar,’ which features a President Trump look-alike who is murdered on stage.

The play was being staged at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park as part of the annual Free Shakespeare In The Park theater program.

In a statement, Delta said: "No matter what your political stance may be, the graphic staging of 'Julius Caesar' at this summer's Free Shakespeare in the Park does not reflect Delta Air Lines' values. Their artistic and creative direction crossed the line on the standards of good taste. We have notified them of our decision to end our sponsorship as the official airline of The Public Theater effective immediately."

Kate Shindle, President of Actors' Equity Association, the national labor union representing more than 51,000 professional actors and stage managers, blasted the airline for apparent hypocrisy, noting that BroadwayWorld magazine pointed out that Delta sponsored a similar production of Julius Caesar in 2012 in which a Barack Obama lookalike was killed onstage.

"Julius Caesar has always been a provocative piece of theatre that asks the audience to think as well as to feel. Many, many modern-dress productions have used contemporary politicians and public figures to drive home the storylines that Shakespeare wove into his play." Shindle said in a statement. "It's surprising that this as become so deeply offensive to Delta Airlines, considering that in 2012, Delta sponsored a season in Minneapolis in which the Guthrie Theatre staged a 'Julius Caesar' which featured the killing of an Obama-like figure. All this pearl-clutching really just indicates how profoundly people are missing the point. Julius Caesar is a cautionary tale about the dangers and consequences of a mob mentality against a ruler. The play actually goes out of its way to make the argument that violence and assassination are not the answer to political problems in a democracy."

The theater company is publicly financed, making this a big blow to its funding compounded by another major company also ending its sponsorship: Bank of America.

The Charlotte-based bank tweeted on Sunday night that it, too, was ending its relationship.

“Bank of America supports art programs worldwide, including an 11-year partnership with The Public Theater and Shakespeare in the Park,” the bank said. “The Public Theater chose to present Julius Caesar in such a way that was intended to provoke and offend. Had this intention been made known to us, we would have decided not to sponsor it. We are withdrawing our funding for this production.”

The production follows the basic outline of Shakespeare’s original Julius Caesar, the story of a Roman emperor stabbed to death by fellow politicians and noblemen who believe he is becoming more autonomous and powerful. The play features the famous and oft-quoted line, “Et tu, Brutus?” referring to Caesar’s close friend and advisor.

The contemporary take on Julius Caesar has him dressed in a suit and tie who vaguely resembles Trump. Caesar’s wife, Calpurnia, is depicted in the play as having an Eastern European accent, much like First Lady Melania Trump.

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